


On The Roman Balcony

by Ocard



Series: Romekage [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: And Tobio wanted to do something for him, Family Bonding, Italy, M/M, Nicolas was worried, SuperLega, quarantine/lockdown
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:15:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27794428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ocard/pseuds/Ocard
Summary: Everyone said this pandemic was changing a lot of things. Between the two of them, Nicolas had always been the more assuring and reliable one. Tobio supposed it was time for him to support Nicolas too.
Relationships: Kageyama Tobio/Nicolas Romero
Series: Romekage [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2006992
Comments: 7
Kudos: 58





	On The Roman Balcony

2 am in the morning, Tobio woke up in the apartment he rented in Rome.

Aside from those circumstances he had to face the jet lag, Tobio had hardly been a light sleeper. But recently it was more often he stayed awake at nights. He guessed it can’t be helped, now that he spent most of his time indoor, with no training, no competition, and plenty of time for nap. Since the lockdown of Italy, he had been quarantined at home for 3 weeks.

He could still vividly recall the day his team manager explained the lockdown announcement to him.

“Stay at home as much as you can.” The lady said in a very solemn tone, “Prepare as much food as you need, and stay at home.”

Tobio didn’t need her to stress more to comprehend how serious the situation had gone. The shops along the roads were closing, and shelves in supermarkets were emptied. The leisurely city of Rome was no more, with everyone hurrying on the street, cars filling the roads to drive out of town. It was almost like scenes from apocalyptic films.

Tobio was not so concerned about himself. He always took great care of himself and hardly got sick, and his team also assisted him to prepare sufficient living necessities. Yet he couldn’t help worrying about Nicolas, who was 200 kilometers away.

Last summer, when Tobio’s contract ended with Schweiden Adlers, so did the one-year deal Nicolas signed with the team. The Brazilian had planned to stay there: he loved Japanese cuisine, the culture of Sendai, and he got on very well with everyone in AD. But dating with Tobio changed a lot of things. When Tobio decided to move to Rome, the world-class ace also accepted the invitation from a SuperLega powerhouse based on Perugia, among other international offers he received.

“It wasn’t the most exciting place, indeed.” explained Nico, “But at least the team is great, and it’s close to Rome. That way I can see you often.”

Tobio didn’t know whether Perugia was as well-stocked as the capital; Brazilians didn’t have the habit of wearing masks, Tobio wasn’t sure whether Nicolas had stored enough of those either. He called him several times, but they weren’t picked up right till very late of the night. The chaotic noise of people and the honking of cars all flooded into his apartment from the balcony, Tobio almost felt his heart burning at the anxiety. He wondered if Nicolas had got into some serious troubles-- the type of trouble no one would want to encounter in the current situation of Italy. And then his door was knocked.

Nicolas was standing outside of his flat.

“...you are here.” Tobio was startled, “They said all the transports into Rome were shut..... How did you get here?”

“By train.” answered Nico, “And then walked from the station.”

“Wha--Nicolas!?” Tobio inhaled in disbelief. He frowned tightly. “There are so many people out there......Are you out of your mind? ?”

He never spoke to Nicolas in that manner, neither as a kouhai nor as the boyfriend. But Nicolas didn’t seem to notice or care. The man still in his mask and carrying his luggage just walked into Tobio’s flat--he had been here numerous times, with his mug on the dinning table, razor in the bathroom-- tore down his mask and throw it into the bin, before he turned to his young boyfriend, who was still stunned at the door.

“I know what I’m doing, Tobio.” His voice was full of fatigue, “All the flights to Brazil were canceled, the connecting flights were also sold out......I can’t get back to Rubens. He had to stay with my parents for God-knows-how-long. ” 

“But at least I can come to Rome......They are shutting down the whole country, I can’t just leave the two people I love alone through this. I had to come here.”

Three weeks passed sooner than Tobio imagined.

Initially they were rather busy, often having to respond to the concerns of their family, friends and fans. The Brazilian national team launched a shaving challenge on SNS, in which they shared videos of themselves shaving their beard, to encourage this precautionary method against the virus. The one of Nico was taken with the assistance Tobio; Tobio himself, on the other hand, never stopped the workouts of his fingers. He pat the ball against their wall everyday in fixed routine, which was secretly filmed by Nicolas, so now all of their fans knew how Nico mocked the thumping noises he made almost sounded like a woodpecker living in their flat.

The news out there was never cheerful, but it seemed to force them to focus more on what they could still do. They took turns to buy the groceries, preparing every meal together; the college students living upstairs often played the piano and the violin, and Nicolas once pulled him to dance in the living room. Despite his agility on court, Tobio was completely clueless in the Brazilian’s arms, stepping on the other man’s feet all the time. He soon got grumpy out of embarrassment, to which Nico snickered into Tobio’s shoulder.

But Tobio soon forgave him. When Nicolas embraced him and kissed him softly at the ear, Tobio wished he could forget everything out there. He was glad and grateful that Nicolas came to Rome, that Nicolas came to stay by his side. 

Tobio almost thought their quarantine would carry on like this until the end. But it was hard not to notice the disappearance of Nico’s smiles and talks as the situation deteriorated rapidly in Brazil. He became paranoid, always checking news on his phone and kept asking Rubens and his parents where they have been to, what they have done and what they’ve been eating. When Tobio woke up at night, he often heard the other man still tossing and turning next to him.

Tobio turned around, unsurprised to find the other half of his bed empty. He put his hand onto the pillow, realising it had already gone cool, before he sat up and walked out of the bedroom.

The place Ali Roma rented for him was the most common one-bedroom flat one can find in the traditional residential buildings of Rome. It was located in a four-storey block, the inside of it was well-refurbished, with the living room luxuriously connecting to a small balcony. Nicolas was indeed there. Tobio took a jacket from the coat rack and silently put it around Nico’s shoulder. The spring of Rome wasn’t really cold any more, but he didn’t want Nico to get sick under their current circumstances for whatever reasons.

“You’re awake.” said Nico. His voice sounded dry.

Tobio sat down beside him. He noticed the phone of Nicolas was held between his hands, but the screen wasn’t lit up.

“Did you Skype with Rubens?”

Nicholas shook his head. His face looked particularly heavy. The corners of his lips, which normally wore a smile, were now tense, and the green eyes that always reminded Tobio of the warm climate in Brazil reflected nothing but the darkness of the Roman night. His listless gaze fell on distant streets.

“......I don’t know what to say to him.”

“You were still talking to each other yesterday, weren’t you?”

“Yesterday...my mother said Rubens asked when his papai could get home. He wants to go out and play volleyball with me. ” Nicolas said lowly, “He hardly asks me for anything, you know? I could barely stay in Brazil over the last few years, but he never whines or makes things difficult for adults, always wishing me of winning more matches. ”

Tobio listened quietly, reaching out his own hands to hold the other’s. Nico’s fingers were stiff and freezing, Tobio wondered how long he had been sitting at this balcony.

“He’s always been introvert since he was little, none of us really knows where he’s got that from......Every time I bought gifts from overseas, he’s too shy to say he likes them, but he’ll hug my neck closely and say ‘thank you papai’.”

“My parents...I know they both love him very much. But sometimes I wonder if Rubens is actually missing me a lot, it’s just that he doesn’t know how to say it. I really wish I could do something for him......instead of just telling him to be good, to stay at home. ”

Nicolas seemed unable to continue. His Adam’s apple moved a little, his jaw tightened of gritted teeth.

“......What kind of father am I.”

His voice was very light, quickly dissipated in the chilly air. But Tobio heard them. He felt somewhere deep in his heart was pulled heavily, the painful sensations were so blunt and dense that Tobio could barely breathe. It shouldn’t be like this, he thought. His Nicolas shouldn’t be like this. He was always smiling, olive green eyes curving into half-moons, warm body heat surrounding Tobio, telling him everything was fine, everything would be fine. These grief looks shouldn’t have appeared on this man’s face, these cold and prickling words shouldn’t belong to him.

Tobio was holding Nico’s large palms with both of his hands now. But it still didn’t feel enough. He thought a little, and wrapped his arms around Nico’s shoulder. He let the other man lean into the crook of his neck, just like the way Nicolas did to him countless times.

Through the jacket, Tobio repeatedly stroked along his spine and his soft curly hair. Nicolas shaved his beard everyday recently, and Tobio just realised how smooth his chin could also be. Tobio held him without any words, until he felt the body leaned onto him stopped trembling. Nicolas returned his hug.

“Take a guess,” whispered Tobio, “What I hated most when my parents left me alone at home.”

Nicolas wriggled uncomfortably, but Tobio stubbornly kept him in his arms.

“You really don’t have to punish me this way, querido.”

Smiled Nico bitterly.

“.....‘eat well’,‘wear more clothes’,‘be good at the club’, I did whatever they told me to. They always came home late...I’m used to that part. But whenever they didn’t even noticed I’ve worked hard, that’s when I got really upset.”

“I don’t know what Rubens thinks......But I know he always listens to you, and he cares about your, Nicolas. Maybe you can’t go back for now, but at least......”

Tobio pulled away slightly. He picked the phone out of Nicolas’ hands, unlocked the screen-- the password was no secret to him, it was just Rubens and his birthdays combined-- and logged into Skype.

“Tell him, please. Tell him he is a good boy, he’s done well and that you miss him too. You talk with each other every night, he must be waiting for you. You’re only going to make him feel worse if you don’t even call him.” Looking into the other man’s reddened eyes, Tobio returned the phone, “......alright?”

Quiting the balcony quietly, Tobio went to the kitchen and boiled a kettle of water in the darkness.

Despite his close-to-zero knowledge of Portuguese, considerately he left some space for the father and son to talk. Perhaps he needed a break himself as well. Resting against the stove and staring at the red light of the kettle, Tobio’s hands were shaking from the speech he said under impulse.

Due to his busy schedule, Rubens and him still hadn’t got the chance to meet each other in person. But from the words of Nico and the few occasions he saw him on Skype, Tobio always had a feeling of déjà vu, not just because of how Rubens looked like a mini copy of his father.

Now Tobio figured out where this feeling came from.

He himself had long passed the life stage of seeking things-- material or emotional-- from his parents. They still cared about one another on important issues, yet Tobio was no longer yearning for them to fill the gap and hollowness left by the pass away of Kazuyo, those cracks of his mental world that Tobio hardly recalled any more, but once vividly existed throughout his teenage life and only filled by the passage of time.

So Rubens was both similar with and different from him. He was similar because they both hoped for the accompany of important people who could not stay by their sides as much as they wished, yet that fortunate little boy was also different as he had an attentive and amazing father, who was trying hard to better perform his role in spite of everything.

In the rumbling noise of the kettle, Tobio gazed at the back of Nico in the balcony.

Everyone said this pandemic was changing a lot of things. Between the two of them, Nicolas had always been the more assuring and reliable one. Tobio guessed it was time for him to do something for Nicolas too.

When Tobio got back to the balcony with two mugs, Rubens noticed him first.

He leaned closer to greet, to which the round-cheek little boy covered his face shyly.

“Hello, Tobio.” answered Rubens in his thin and sweet voice.

Tobio smiled lightly. Those were the exact same words Rubens said to him in their first meeting, but Tobio was far more strained back then. He pulled a out a nervous grin that day, almost felt he was about to scare the kid into tears, but instead Rubens was amused and giggling, eyes curving into half-moons just like his father, revealing two little dimples on his cheek.

“What did you do at home today?” asked Tobio in as simple an English as he could.

Rubens reported one by one, he knew little English as he just entered primary school, but Tobio still tried hard to distinguish his words. He mentioned how much milk he had-- which was advised by Tobio earlier, and that he ate plenty of “green flowers”.

“’Green flowers’?”

“Ah, it’s broccoli.” explained Nico.

“I see......broccoli is good.” Tobio nodded, “good job.”

They didn’t chat much longer, as it was also very late of the night in Brazil. Little Rubens kept yawning and rubbing his eyes, but was still reluctant to leave despite his grandma’s urging.

“Can I see you again tomorrow, papai?”

Satisfied with the promise of Nicolas, Rubens waved them goodnight, and left with the connection cut.

For a moment, neither of the two on the balcony said a word. Tobio peeped sideways to check on Nicolas, only to be caught by the man who suddenly turned to him too.

“...what?”

“......feeling better?” Tobio asked tentatively.

“ I have no idea what you’re talking about”, Nicolas made a exaggerated shrug. “I’ve always been great.”

To that, Tobio pouted.

“Yeah, like I was the one who was snivelling. ”

His teasing drew Nico to tickle at his sensitive waist and, forgetting that they were in a residential building in the mid of the night, the two made a laughing mess on the balcony. Only when an angry protest came from downstairs did they stop awkwardly.

"Looks like you'll have to explain to Mrs De Luca what you were doing out here tonight, my love." Nicolas whispered.

Their downstairs neighbour was an elderly lady with extremely sharp eyes, she had come upstairs earlier to protest over the noise Tobio created in his finger workouts, it made Tobio very afraid of her since then.

"No, you’ll have to explain." Tobio whispered back, "It's your turn for grocery tomorrow."

Nicolas instantly made an exaggerated expression of regret, and Tobio couldn’t help but cup his face and pressed a smiling kiss on Nico’s now beardless chin.

As two well organised and orderly professional athletes, messing around like this in the mid of the night drew tiredness back to Tobio’s mind. They tidied up the balcony together, and went back to the bedroom. After lying down, Nico hugged him from behind.

“......Nicolas?” Tobio caressed the arm across his waist. The hot air breathed out of Nico felt itchy at his nape.

“Seriously, Tobio...I think you are more and more like another Dad of Rubens now.”

Tobio was taken aback. He opened his mouth but couldn’t figure out what to say, so Nicolas carried on:

“Well......I was going to say ‘brother’, but that would put you in the same generation with him, and that sounds weird.”

Tobio snorted a laugh. He turned back a little, and raised his eyebrows at the man behind him.

\--“Is that so, _‘_ _Daddy_ ’?”

“............No, no no no, cut that out TOBIO--!”

*

The next morning, Tobio woke up in the tantalizing aroma of fresh coffee and fried eggs.

He walked out of the room, ruffling his hair, and Nicolas was talking to someone on the phone while waiting next to the toaster, the freshly sliced bread by his side.

Noticed Tobio, he hastily finished his call, and came to press a loud kiss at Tobio’s forehead.

“Bom dia, amorzinho~”

“...bom dia.”

“Hurry and eat your breakfast, I have something important to discuss with you.”

Tobio set the table with Nicolas, glad that they finally had some pears and blueberries again-- the shop near their neighbourhood hadn’t sold any fruits other than lemon and orange for a while. He noticed how Nicolas, despite his messy hair locks, had returned to his usual self, his expression tender, bright and determined.

“The thing is this...”Nicolas tried to explain, “I was just talking to my teammates.”

Tobio nodded while chewing his toast.

“We were saying that, the situation in Brazil recently...hasn’t been good. Rubens has all his needs, masks, soaps and food......and it still worries me as hell. I could only imagine things are more awful in the more difficult regions, especially in the slums. So we are thinking, maybe we could pool some money together to assist those communities. Of course it’s just some thoughts among friends so far, we can’t guarantee how much we can raise, but at least it should help in some ways......what do you think?”  
Tobio’s mouth was full of bread, so he nodded eagerly.

“...it sounds good...it sounds.....great. Anything wrong......? Anything I can do for you?”

“Ah, no, it’s not that. It’s just...none of us really did this sort of thing before, and things could go wrong everywhere. We aren’t sure how much money can be actually put into use, or how many people can really be helped......”

“But you said, ‘at least it should help in some ways’.”

His attitude seemed to be immensely relieving for Nicolas. Tobio had a hunch that Nico wasn’t really concerned about those so-called problems that could go wrong, he just needed some assurance from a third party. Thinking of something else, Tobio pursed his lips and continued:

“Rubens would be happy too......to know his papai is helping people.”

His tone was flat, just like the way he stated everything else in his life. But when his words were out, Tobio swore he noticed something glinted at the corner of Nicolas’ eyes.

He watched as Nicolas lowered his head to sip his coffee in disguise, and Tobio had no intention to expose him this time.

The End

**Author's Note:**

> I thought for a second whether to tag “daddy kink” or not and decided NO.  
> (just kidding)  
> The ideas of shaving challenge and donations are both from the real world Brazilian team, and everyone looks so different without beard...Tobio must be looking at Nicolas curiously all the time as he can’t remember last time he saw Nico with a smooth chin lol.  
> It always upsets me to notice Furudate delayed Tokyo Olympics to 2021 in HQ: (... I hope the characters are coping well......And for those of you reading this page, please stay safe too🥺🥺!


End file.
